I wonder if any of these news commentators

[DonaldsRump]

8. The Senate can clearly create an Impeachment Committee and handle other business

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R46185.pdf

Impeachment Rule XI allows the Senate to create trial committees to hear and consider evidence and report it to the Senate. Such committees were not intended to be used for presidential impeachments, but four of the five impeachment trials completed since 1936 concerned federal judges, and in each of these cases the Senate established a trial committee. [THERE IS NOTHING PROHIBITING THIS FOR A FORMER PRESIDENT]

...

Although the impeachment rules prescribe that the Senate convene at noon for a trial, six days a week, a Senate majority can alter this schedule. It is possible for the Senate to conduct legislative and executive business on the same calendar days that it meets for a trial, but it must meet in legislative or executive session to do so. When the Senate is sitting as a Court of Impeachment, legislative and executive business cannot occur.

Another DUer had pointed out the first point, but the overall result is that the Senate can most certainly create an Impeachment Committee to obtain evidence and the Senate can also handle other matters while an impeachment is ongoing.

Who knows what witnesses would have disclosed? But criminal behavior etc could have been elicited. We will never know now. They had witnesses for the Clinton impeachment, so I fail to see why this far greater event doesn't warrant a far more detailed investigation.